The hiking with a loaded backpack was easier than carting Ellie around in my structured toddler carrier for hiking. My pack also didn't wobble around and demand milk. I had my own pack loaded and ready to go. Eric once carried a backpack to Europe when he was my age for his traveling (though he did not actually backpack through Europe, haha!) I took one of the two he owned and just as the crew was ready to load the packs into the truck and head out, mine broke! Perfect timing because if it had broken on the trail I would have been in some struggle for sure. Luckily, our trip was taken care of by a most wonderful establishment called Mountain Goat and they were able to immediately supply me with one of their packs. To give you a little insight on this company, Mountain Goat, it is most important to state that they are a huge blessing to the Greenville community. They are fairly new and beyond worth checking out for your daily coffee or tea or for grabbing a beer with a buddy. Here is what they are all about:
"Mountain Goat is a family-friendly cafe, bar and bike shop in Greenville, South Carolina. We are proudly located in the Poe Mill neighborhood and exist to build a community around our partner non-profit, GOAT (Great Outdoor Adventure Trips).
Whether you’re stopping in for a coffee on your way to the mountains or catching up over a beer on your way back, everyone who walks in the doors of Mountain Goat is helping to give the gift of the outdoors to at-risk kids all over the state of South Carolina."
The trip we took helped to support at risk children and give them a chance at a better future through the ministry of Mountain Goat and their beautiful work. Major bonus for me just doing something I love! Check them out. https://www.facebook.com/pg/mtngoatgvl/about/?ref=page_internal
This trip was so good for me. It gave me time to just be plain old Emily again. The Emily God created and no other roles attached (though I am SO thankful for my roles in life!) Sometimes it is really just good to discover yourself again as it can tend to get lost in serving others on a daily grind. I was able to be a little wild, a little quiet, a little daring, and a little reflective. I grew close relationships with women I have only met through this experience and to hear their stories and respect them.
My favorite parts were definitely making smores and eating our freeze dried meals around the campfire, relishing in what we accomplished that first day. I loved the views I got to take in and the overall experience of going somewhere new just an hour away from home that I have never seen before. I loved spending time with my friends and having one big sleepover.
I believe there is no better surrounding than being out in nature where it is quiet and raw.
We were all pretty cold at night because spring in the mountains means 50 degrees at night which is quite chilly...at least for me. I bet my Michigan husband would have loved it. But we all sorta snuggled up close and inside our sleeping bags and fell peacefully asleep in a perfectly dark place on top of a waterfall...the perfect natural sound machine. Lots of funny stories when waking up in the morning as we recounted our night. Not many of us slept because we were cold, or had to pee but were too cold to get out of the bags to go pee, etc. Personally, I wanted to sleep and knew I wouldn't if I were holding it in the remainder of the night. But my little headlamp was a dud and really was useless. I am blind without contacts.....like...really really near blind. My glasses Rx is like 15 years old and I merely use them as a bedside aid. So in the dark of the forest night, I ventured out into the woods to find a spot to ...well...go. Except I couldn't see. If a deer cam had been on me it would be hilarious I am sure. I walked into so many patches of things I knew were not where I should be so then I would back up and try another way but then there was a tree. After a few minutes of not being able to see a lick of anything I finally just decided that where I stood was good enough! Then as I crawled quietly back into my sleeping bag I peered out of the weak frames of my glasses into the woods and saw these glowing things....running....moving quickly...on the ground....NOT lightening bugs. Their lights were almost white fluorescent and they could turn on and off but mostly they just stayed on. Glowing and moving. Let's put it this way....so bright I could still see them without the glasses. I decided I would just close my eyes and go back to sleep. My friend Kristen said she saw it too and it was like eyes looking out! Hahaha!!
In the morning we slowly rose with the sun and packed and made breakfast over the fire. Most of us walked a mile and a half to see the bottom of the falls we had slept on top of. What a beautiful waterfall. So peaceful. We came back a shorter way making our hike a total of 15 miles. Then we went to Sassafrass mountain to the new lookout to see the view from the highest peak in South Carolina! Also very close to the camp spot and home. Then, us girls went for pizza in Pickens at Main Street Pizza and we ate like ravenous wolves. Exhausted, quiet, dirty, smokey, happy. The van ride back to Mountain goat was filled with all the stories of our wild births of our babies and the 3 poor girls that are not yet mamas....I hope we didn't change their minds about having babies in the future! Hahahaha! They were very quiet....oh but we laughed! Motherhood and sharing it with others is a necessity and a great blessing!
This trip was amazing and everything good. It allowed me to find the Emily that existed when it was just me. I mean, I still am that person but she gets put in a corner sometimes as I serve the needs of my family (which is a great honor and blessing I would never ever want to be without). I just felt like 20 year old me again. Going off and doing whatever I wanted on my own terms with no agenda or worry. I was free to relax and explore and free to breathe and be quiet if I wanted. I was free to do what I love doing. I cannot wait for another backpacking trip in the future. I surely missed my family before I ever fell asleep that night. Missing them actually hurts. I pine for them when I am away. But, it is also very good for myself to do these things. Plus, the greeting I got when I arrived home was so lovely and warm. Worth it every time!
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